Solstice looked away and shrugged, tapping his fingers together nervously. "It doesn't matter. It's the past... Everything supposed to be better now." He mumbled.

"Then we live in the present." Sienna thought for a moment. "So, tell me about yourself. What do you enjoy doing? Favorite book, favorite movie, favorite music."

The fae man hesitated. "Well, I suppose I like drawing the best... I'm not really a movie person... I much prefer shows. You get much more time with the characters. You feel for them more." He mumbled.

"I can get that. I kind of like slice of life movies where you just get a glimpse into someone's existence. But, some shows are good. Some go on too long and ruin the character. It's a gamble vs the certainty of a singular film. As a storytelling medium, though, I think I prefer video games. The ability to interact with the bits of the narrative and shape the nature of the character."

"I haven't played very many video games. So I wouldn't know."

"No social media, no video games? What are you doing in this world? You're definitely missing out. I sort of play games as part of my job, too.  It's good doing what I enjoy."

She looked around, "You know, there's supposed to be a greenhouse around here with orchids. Want to go find it, you can check out more of the festival too. Meet some of the local fae."

"I suppose it would be good for me to be acquainted with the locals... At least a little..." He mumbled, not feeling sure how to respond to the comment about his own lifestyle.

All the while that this conversation has been taking place, Dr. Orrus has been sitting quietly by Solstice's side, saying nothing. His lips are quirked upwards in a warm smile, though, as he watches his friend work through this awkward encounter. He wouldn't interrupt this for anything! It's good to finally see the young man drawn out of his (understandable) shell, even if just a little bit.

Shadows are being replaced with true gloom as night begins to descend. All along the pathways in the park around them, paper lanterns suddenly light by themselves, making a soft "pop!" noise. It's almost like watching a string of glowing popcorn suddenly activate, spreading pale light upon the ground and offering plenty of light for the celebrants who are now arriving, along with various entertainers.

In a larger, pale purple tent in a wide clearing off to the right, a group of fae can be seen settling in with musical instruments. There are a couple of fae who are clearly of the Courts, tall and wispy, almost ethereal to look upon. A satyr has sat himself down on a stool, clutching bagpipes to his chest and laughing with one of the garden pixies who has alit upon the back of a nearby chair.

Groups of all sorts are starting to wander the paths. Small groups of humans walk along, padding towards the food vendors are starting to crank up their businesses for real. Or, perhaps, they are witches or warlocks. It's hard to tell, really. Still, there are no vampires to be seen, though it is still a touch early for any of their ilk to be making an appearance.

Solstice had never before seen such a wide variety of persons in his life, even back in his home realm. He couldn't help but give prolonged glances at some of the more outlandishly appearing individuals. He could feel the magic in the air and it was like taking your first break of fresh air after being underwater for just a bit to long. His flame colored wings fluttered with small joy at the feeling. He hadn't felt such magic since he had last been home and was clearly enchanted.

Suddenly, the feeling in the air around them changed, as though a storm loomed on the horizon. The electrical tang of ozone creeped in over the smell of sweets and savory treats. The fae in the area immediately stopped what they were doing and looked around in consternation, and even the humans stopped in their tracks to look around, sudden anxiety gripping them.

From across a small pond, a female figure appeared, gliding along just above the water. Ethereal robes whipped around her, as though caught in a strong wind. Silver hair was blown back, making her beautiful face look harsh and angular... though the furrowed brows and fiercely thinned lips did much more to convey the fury that she was containing.

She swiftly approached the crowds, her piercing eyes sweeping over the people present, dismissing each in turn as unimportant as she obviously searched for someone in particular.

Solstice felt the air around him change and he backed up a step, wings pinned low as he searched for the source.

Then he saw the woman and he was left paralyzed by fear. What could someone like that want with the festival?

"Steady," Dr. Orrus placed a firm, comforting hand upon Solstices shoulder. He watched as the fae glided past the small group, her eyes briefly touching upon them before moving on, disinterested. "Whoever or whatever she is here for, it's not us."

Solstice feels a slight breeze by his shoulder and can hear the whir of tiny, dragonfly wings. Glancing to the side, he sees the pixie that had been speaking with Sienna, earlier, hovering just at head height. Beside him is another pixie, a female, who watches the whole affair with a worried expression, "And be glad she's not. That's Samthann. She's one of the highest born of the Summer Court. Normally, she's fairly relaxed. But, when she's pissed...?"

Q whistles low, "I wouldn't want to be whoever she's looking for!"

Solstice was still edging on panic, even as the others spoke. "What could possibly have her so upset?" He asked the pixie with clear worry, moving closer to the human doctor beside him.

Dr. Orrus edged closer to Solstice, letting his shoulder touch the fae's. His eyes, though, we still tracking Samthann and she continue along, the crowd parting before her.

"Pfft. Who knows?" Iris snorted and crossed her arms, though her tiny brow was creased with concern. "Those High Court fuckers are always up to their snooty noses in intrigue. Could be anything."

"Think it has anything to do with the Unseelie?" Q flitted closer to Iris, though he made sure that their wings did not collide.

"Wouldn't surprise me. I don't know who thought that marriage was a good idea. Too many centuries of bad blood," Iris shrugged and looked over to her comrade, her expression softening slightly. "Whatever it is, it doesn't involve us. We just keep to the leaves and we'll be fine."

"Unseelie? Marriage? Wh-what do you mean?" He asked, wings down low and trembling as he spoke. He was clearly very worried and confused.

"Oh. You're not from around here?" Iris commented, somewhat oblivious to Solstice's obvious distress. She snorted, "Oh, man. Yeah... awhile back someone decided that the way to bridge the differences between the Seelie and Unseelie was marriage. So, Autumn Lord Eachann agreed to marry Spring Lady Mairona. That's just been a giant ball of chaos since day one, as far as I can tell."

"But, honestly... we stay out of it," Q piped up, shaking his head.

"Anyone with half a brain does," Iris nodded in agreement.

Solstice frowned. "Oh... Well... What do we do now that she's here and very mad?" He asked softly, trying not to think of his own history.

"Well, she's obviously not looking for us. So, I think everything will be fine as long as we leave her alone and let her do her thing," Q answered.

"Sounds like a good idea to move on to something else, then," Sienna said. "I still need to get some more footage for my show. So, I'm going to mosey on over to some of the tents and see what else is happening. It was nice meeting you all!"

Just as the Sienna departed, Samthann turned in a slow circle, scanning the crowd. Her eyes swept past Solstice's small group, once more, and came to light upon someone just to the side and behind them. She moved with swift purpose past them to come to an imperious halt in front of a human man dressed in a jeans and a comfortable jacket. The two of them were close enough that it was easy to overhear their conversation. Not that Samthann seemed entirely worried about eavesdroppers...

He sighed and straightened his back, putting on an easy smile, "Good evening, Samthann. What can I do for you?"

"Do for me? You can catch a thief, is what you can do!" the fae noble somehow managed to loom over the man, despite the fact that they were about the same height.

The man's eyebrows lifted in surprise, "Someone stole something? From you?"

"The absolute GALL," Samthann fumed, furious. Despite the fact that the air around her was practically charged with magic, small bursts of it playing along her skin, the salt-and-pepper haired gentleman seemed unfazed by the display.

He pulled small notepad and pen from where it was tucked inside of his jacket pocket, "Alright. What was taken? And, when did you notice it was missing?"

"My Oracular Mirror. It looks like so," Samthann waved her hand and an illusory image of a small, silver mirror encased in a framework of fine filigree appeared above her hand. "I went looking for it this afternoon to touch up my hair and found it was gone. Gone! Out of my home! What churlish, brazen lout would DARE to invade my privacy? My sanctum!" She lifted a finger and waved it under the man's nose threateningly, "You had best hope that you find them first, Lieutenant. Because, I don't care if they are of my Realm or not, they took what is mine and they will pay my Realm's price if I catch them. I am only informing you out of courtesy."

The lieutenant nodded calmly, jotting notes in his book, "Alright. I'll have someone from MA get on this. We'll contact you as soon as we hear anything."

Solstice quickly moved away as the Fae noble walked past. His wings laid flat with his fear. He couldn't help but watch in concerned awe as the noble told her tale. "A realm hopping thief...? Sounds like something we all need to worry about." He mumbled.

"More than that," Iris shook her head in disbelief. "It's somebody with a giant set of balls."

"A long time ago, someone stole from Samthann. She caught them. It weren't pretty," Q spoke softly, grimacing at a memory.

Solstice had a very sudden idea, his wings shooting up with sudden alertness. "Wait a moment. I just had a thought." He turned towards the doctor and the pixies. "What of that man that was caught stealing earlier also took her item." He proposed.

Novin raised a perplexed brow. "That's outlandish. There's no way a common thief broke into the home of someone like her."

Solstice visibly deflated. "You're right... That was stupid of me to say."

Novin frowned. "No. You're far from stupid."

The lieutenant spoke calmly with Samthann, going through some more questions and answers, his low voice soothing. Eventually, the magical sparks around Samthann died down, and she seemed somewhat mollified by his words and reassurances. However, she still made it quite clear that she was not pleased and would cause great bodily harm to the thief if she caught them. Finally, she drifted away from the police officer and seemed as though she might join the revelers who were starting to wander towards booths of games and food. But, arms crossed, she seemed to think better of it and left. Though, this time, without the theatrics.

With a deep sigh, the lieutenant pulled out his phone and dialed a number. As he waited for the person to pick up, he rubbed at the bridge of his nose as though fighting off the beginnings if a headache. Clearly, this was not the first time he has dealt with one of the High Court.

"Johnson. Hey. Yeah, I've got a job for you," he said as he wandered towards a nearby park bench to sit down. "Samthann just showed up at the park. Apparently, someone has stolen a magic item from her. I need you to check into this before she goes full 'One Ring Galadriel' on the town."

It was, at that point, that everything stopped. The air in the park seemed to still, the sounds became muted. And then, there was a clap and rumble. An invisible shockwave that was both physical and magical rolled across the land, sending car alarms blaring and any loose paper or napkins flying. To the south, the sound of breaking concrete could be heard and cloud of dust rose into the air.

Solstice let out a horrified shriek at the blast and threw a magic shield up around himself and those around him. It was weak but present.

[OOC: Rolled 1d6 for magic shield. Rolled 2]

Fortunately, while the blast was shocking, the force was not enough to truly injure anyone at the park. Mostly, it was startling. Though, some people did fall over and it was definitely an unhappy surprise for the smaller denizens of the park. Had it not been for Solstice's shield, Q and Iris would've been tossed, as evidenced by the sight of other pixies madly trying to right themselves in the wake of the shockwave.

Dr. Orrus quickly looks around, assessing the situation as he looks for injured people. From where they are standing, no one seems to be suffering from anything more than bruised bottoms. Though, people closer to the epicenter may not have been so lucky...

"Solstice, we should go and check to make sure no one needs help," he says to his companion.

The lieutenant who was sitting on the park bench is already running towards the parking lot near the park, his phone to his ear as he shouts something. Though, now, he is too far away to eavesdrop, anymore.

Solstice nodded, quickly getting into a serious mindset. "Right. They'll need doctors at the blast site." He agreed and quickly moved towards the direction the blast came from, the Doctor not far behind.

[Solstice and Dr Novin leave for the Antique shop]